Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

upgrade RAM > 3 beeps MBP mid-2009

G

Guids

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 31, 2008
16
0
Hello everyone,

I am facing a problem. I am trying to upgrade my girlfriends ram to 8gb but whenever I do I get a three beep error at boot, indicating a ram failure. Some info:

Macbook info:
Macbook pro 13 inch (mid-2009) unibody
proc.: 2.26 ghz intel core 2 duo (penryn)
ram: currently 2x1gb 1066 MHz Pc3-8500 DDR3 SO-DIMM

So in ended up buying this kit from corsair
cm3x8gsdkit1066
2x4gb PC3-8500 1066MHz DDR3 SO-DIMM

The kit did not work, I was 99% sure I bought the right memory. But I returned it to the store and the employee told me it was not mac compatible (whut?). He had the same problem with the kit, but used other memory that dit work. So he gave me two other sticks, the following:

Corsair
CM3X4GSD1066
4gb PC3-8500 1066MHz DDR3 SO-DIMM

As the specs suggest, totally the same memory. I installed the two sticks and again 3 beeps.

I am aware that some macbooks have a RAM limit, but I check the serial and it should be 8gb. I already tried to run the macbook on 1 stick (so only one 4 gb stick), but it would give three beeps and not boot.
At first I thought they had given me faulty/broken RAM, but then they did it twice. Should have bought crucial i think. Any help?
 
You're within the limit. You may have bad ram. I've seen more bad Corsair reviews on the typical sites like Newegg and Amazon, but any of them can come up with bad ram. It's wise to test it even if the machine boots up properly. This is more common than not booting at all, so you may first wish to ensure that it's seated properly.
 
ramram55 said:
crucial.com should get the exact number with your mbp, try to log in there.
Click to expand...

Crucial is the best for a Mac and fairly priced if you ask me, I use it in all my Mac's and never had an issue,

I would try to re-seat the ram and boot it again, sometimes if the simm does not fully click in, you will get the beeps as well.
 
Wicked1 said:
I would try to re-seat the ram and boot it again, sometimes if the simm does not fully click in, you will get the beeps as well.
Click to expand...

I've had it happen and I just removed/re-inserted the RAM and all was fine.

Is your firmware updated to the latest version?
 
ramram55 said:
crucial.com should get the exact number with your mbp, try to log in there.
Click to expand...

I did check again and i found one thing maybe of interest.

The compatible ram states 1.35 volt
The ram I have is 1.5 volt

Do you guys think this is the problem? Were can I check the current voltage?
 
Guids said:
your ram is 1333 mHz, how is this possible if the max is 1067 mHz
Click to expand...

The speed of the RAM is determined by the computer, not the other way around. My MBP actually recognizes it as 1333MHz and as far as I can tell runs at that speed too(not that it really makes a noticeable difference.)
 
Guids said:
I did check again and i found one thing maybe of interest.

The compatible ram states 1.35 volt
The ram I have is 1.5 volt

Do you guys think this is the problem? Were can I check the current voltage?
Click to expand...
1.5 volt vs 1.35 volt could be the problem, get what crucial says.
 
Guids said:
I did check again and i found one thing maybe of interest.

The compatible ram states 1.35 volt
The ram I have is 1.5 volt

Do you guys think this is the problem? Were can I check the current voltage?
Click to expand...

ramram55 said:
1.5 volt vs 1.35 volt could be the problem, get what crucial says.
Click to expand...

If you look up ram specs for that chipset, it's likely that either is acceptable. It's more likely that these are just bad sticks. Look at the review on any ram. Bad sticks come up all the time.
 
thekev said:
If you look up ram specs for that chipset, it's likely that either is acceptable. It's more likely that these are just bad sticks. Look at the review on any ram. Bad sticks come up all the time.
Click to expand...

But four faulty sticks in a row is almost impossible. I did get a refund tough. Will get crucial, see how that will work out
 
Hi, I have to bring this topic up again.

I just bought the very same RAM (2x4GB) to upgrade my Mid 2009 13" MBP with the exact same results. But actually there were positive reviews by Amazon customers using those memory in their macs with no problems - thats why I also bought them.

Are there any reviews you can trust on which RAM to use for upgrading your Mac Book?

R's Rene
 
Like you said four faulty sticks in a row is impossible and beeping usually signifies that you didn't seat/insert the RAM sticks properly.
 
Well, I thought that as well. But I switched back to the original 2x2GB - and it started smooth again.

Also tried with only 1 stick of the original 2GB which also works fine. Any of the new 4GB alone just don't work. I tried multiple times with different combinations and only the original 2GB sticks work. :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back